[Images above] Credit: NIST
NANOMATERIALS
A fullerene-like molecule made entirely of metal atoms
Researchers from Nankai University, Nanjing Tech University, Shanxi University, and Universidad San Sebastián created a fullerene-like molecule made entirely of metal atoms (20 antimony atoms, 12 gold atoms, one potassium). They did so with a synthesis method that combined high-temperature solid-phase synthesis with organometallic chemistry.
Ion irradiation for engineering nanoparticles
Massachusetts Institute of Technology researchers used ion irradiation, a technique in which beams of charged particles bombard a material, to precisely control the size, composition, and other properties of nanoparticles key to the reactions involved in a variety of clean energy and environmental technologies.
ENERGY
Scientists achieve 29.9% efficiency for four-junction perovskite–CSI tandem solar cell
Researchers led by the National University of Singapore fabricated a four-junction tandem solar cell based on perovskite and a copper–indium–selenium thin-film with a power conversion efficiency of up to 29.9%. They used methyldiammonium diiodide to reduce open-circuit voltage losses in the top perovskite cell.
New carbon material sets energy-storage record, likely to advance supercapacitors
Guided by machine learning, chemists at Oak Ridge National Laboratory designed a record-setting carbonaceous supercapacitor material that stores four times more energy than the best commercial material.
US researchers fabricate commercial grade uranium dioxide HALEU fuel
In early 2023, researchers demonstrated the ability to fabricate pellets of high-assay, low-enriched uranium dioxide at Idaho National Laboratory’s Experimental Fuels Facility at the Material and Fuels Complex.
ENVIRONMENT
‘Electrocaloric’ heat pump could transform air conditioning
Researchers developed a prototype heat pump that uses electric fields and a special ceramic instead of refrigerant fluids to warm and cool air. Additionally, because the design removes the need for a compressor, it could potentially fit into a smaller, simpler device.
New method verifies carbon capture in concrete
Researchers at the University of Tokyo and Nagoya University developed a method to confirm whether carbon in concrete originates from the raw materials or from carbon in the air, which was trapped when it reacted with the concrete.
MANUFACTURING
Researchers triple carbon nanotube yield
Researchers at Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology almost tripled carbon nanotube yield without compromising quality by adding hydrogen gas along with carbon monoxide to the reaction chamber.
Compact accelerator technology achieves major energy milestone
Researchers led by The University of Texas at Austin demonstrated a compact particle accelerator less than 20 meters long that produces an electron beam with an energy of 10 billion electron volts. Only two other accelerators currently operating in the U.S. can reach such high electron energies, but both are approximately 3 kilometers long.
OTHER STORIES
Discovery of structural regularity hidden in silica glass
Tohoku University researchers developed a new way to quantify ring shapes in chemically bonded networks of glass, which allowed them to determine the exact number of representative ring shapes in crystalline and glassy silica.
200-year-old geology mystery resolved
To build mountains from dolomite, researchers from the University of Michigan and Hokkaido University found that it must periodically dissolve. This counter-intuitive lesson could help make defect-free semiconductors.
Sodium surprise: research suggests existence of salt glaciers on Mercury
Scientists conducting research on Mercury discovered the possible presence of salt glaciers in the planet’s polar regions, raising the possibility that these glaciers could support life. Until now, Mercury was considered too close to the sun to support life.
Clickable buttons that rise up anywhere on a touchscreen
Researchers developed a new interface called “PopTouch,” a millimeter-thin transparent layer that can raise clickable buttons on demand, anywhere on a screen.